Personnel parachute pack



June 1955 c. E. CARROLL PERSONNEL PARACHUTE PACK Filed June 4, 1952 INVEN TOR. 644 7161155 5. 6044 EJ111359 Patented June 28, 1955 PERSONNELPARACHUTE PACK Charles E. Carroll, Dayton, Ohio Application June 4,1952, Serial No. 291,818

4 Claims. (Cl. 244-448) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), see.266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by orfor the United States Government for governmental purposes withoutpayment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to parachute packs of the emergency free type,and particularly to an improved method of stowing the canopy in theenvelope and means for carrying out the method.

The pack enclosure is of the envelope design having a back panel withfour flaps which fold over the parachute canopy, coming together andlapping over slightly to form the front closure of the pack housing, theflap ends which overlap being provided with aligned openings, theopenings being reinforced by grommets.

An improved means for locking the pack flaps closed is included in thedesign. Two or more cord loops are attached to the panel in positionswhich are in alignment with the axes of the grommets. The cord loops maythen extend from their point of attachment to the back panel upwardthrough the folds of the canopy then through the grommets. The rip cordpins are thus arranged to pass through the loop ends and thereby serveas locking members to hold the pack closed.

The construction of the pack will be clearly understood from theaccompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 shows the improved pack fully openand with the canopy arranged in folds and lying on the back panelpreparatory to closing;

Fig. 2 shows the improved pack in the fully closed state;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken at 33 of Fig. 2 throughthe locking means which also serves to keep the main chute from shiftingin the pack;

Pig. 4 is a transverse section taken at 44 of Fig. 2.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the fully open pack is seen toconsist of a back panel 1G with right and left side flaps 12 and 14 andwith top and bottom end flaps 16 and 18 integrally formed on the panel.

Grommets 24}, 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 line the openings in the outer freeends of the flaps 16, 18, 14 and 12. I

Cord loops 31 and 33 are anchored to the back panel 14 at points 32 and34, which points are directly over the grommets 2t 22, 24, 26, 2S and 30when the flaps are folded as in Fig, 2.

A rod 35 is sewed into the back panel 10 along its longitudinal axis,the sewing extending between the points 32 and 34, the ends of the rodsextending slightly beyond the sewing whereby the cord loops may beremoved and renewed when worn.

With the flaps 12, 14, 16 and 18 properly folded as in Fig. 2, threegrommets 20, 24 and 25 are directly over the cord loop 31 and threegrommets 22, 23 and 3d) are directly over the cord loop 33. The rip cordpins 35 and 33 are attached to the rip cord cable 40. The operation ofthe herein disclosed parachute pack may preferably be substantially asfollows:

When the canopy is being packed in the envelope it is laid in folds asseen at 42, Fig. 1, the cord loops 31 and 33 being brought up betweenfolds of the canopy and threaded up through the grommets, after whichthe rip cord pins 36 and 38 are threaded through the upper ends of thecord loops which locks the flaps closed. Conversely, one pull on thecable 40 withdraws both pins 36 and 38 from the cord loops and therebyunlocks the entire pack.

The herein disclosed pack has the following advantages:

Due to the arrangement of the parachute on the back panel, as in Fig. l,in the form of loops 42, with the cord loops 31 and 33 extendingupwardly between turns of the canopy loops, the weight of the parachutewhen on the chutists back is divided into three parts, one-third of theweight being above and resting on the cord loop 31, one-third beingbetween the cord loops 31 and 33 and resting on the cord loop 33, theremaining third resting on the end flap 13 when the parachute is packed.This arrangement prevents shifting of the canopy in the envelope andavoids tangling. This is an important feature of this invention.Additionally:

It is more flexible due to the minimum use of metal stiffeners madepossible by the action of the cord loops.

It is softer and more comfortable due to the use of cord loop lockingmeans which permit loose stowage of the parachute canopy with minimumshifting in the arrangement of the canopy material.

It is lighter in weight because of the absence of metal locking cones,metal stiffeners, pack opening elastics, protective covers and snapfasteners.

It is less expensive due to simplicity of construction and reduction ofexpensive metal parts.

Having described an embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. A parachute pack comprising a rectangular back panel, side and endflaps extending from the sides and ends of said back panel, two grommetsin the free end of each side flap each spaced along a line parallel tothe center line of the pack and as far from the center line as the widthof the pack, one grommet in the free end of each end flap each spacedalong the center line of the pack half as far from the end of the backpanel as the length of the back panel minus the distances between thegrommets in the side flaps, anchor means spaced along the center line ofthe pack and spaced apart on transverse lines extending through thegrommets in the side flaps, a parachute canopy laid upon said back panelfolded back and forth on itself between the side flaps, transversely tothe said center line of the pack in transverse loops, cord loops fast atone end in said back panel and rip cord pins passing through the freeends of said cord loops each of said cord loops carrying a proportionalamount of the weight of the chute.

2. A parachute pack comprising a substantially rectangular flexiblefabric back panel, flexible side and end closura flaps extendingoutwardly from the sides and ends of the back panel and foldable acrossthe back panel, to inclose a folded parachute carried on the back panelwith their free ends in overlapping relation, elongated cord loopssecured to the inside of the back panel at spaced points along a medianline between the side edges of the back panel, grommets fixed in theside and end flaps adjacent the free edges thereof to receive the cordloops therethrough normal to the back panel with the side and end panelsinclosing a parachute folded back and forth between the side flaps,carried on the back panel with said cord loops extending through theparachute between the folds thereof to prevent the chute from shiftingtoward the end flaps, and a rip cord comprising pull pin membersextending through the outer looped ends of the ,3 looped cords, acrossthe grommets, exteriorly of the pack.

3. A parachute pack for receiving and retaining a parachute thereinfolded back and forth on itself comprising a flexible substantiallyrectangular back panel, flexible fabric side and end closure flapsextending from the opposite sides and ends of the rectangular panel,foldable across the back panel to inclose a folded parachute carried onthe back panel With the free ends of the flaps in overlapping relation,elongated cord loops secured at their inner ends to the inside of theback panel at spaced points in a median plane, normal to the back panel,intermediate its side edges thereof, extending outwardly normal to saidback panel, said side and end closure flaps having eyelets formed in thefree overlapping edges thereof, disposed to receive the free looped endsof the loop cords therethrough with the eyelets in the overlapping edgesin alignment, pull pins disposed through the looped ends against theeyelets to retain the flap ends in said overlapping relation, anelongated cover flap carried by the outermost flap extending over saideyelets and said looped ends, and a pull cable carried by another ofsaid flaps and connected to said pull pins for withdrawing the pins fromsaid loop ends to free the said flaps.

4. A flexible fabric personnel parachute pack comprising a flexible backpanel substantially rectangular in shape having substantially triangularend and side flaps connected to the opposite ends and sides of the backpanel and foldable toward each other over the back panel to dispose theedges thereof in overlapping relation, a rod retaining member disposedon the inside of the back panel and extending toward the end flapsbeyond the overlapping edges of said flaps in a median plane between theside edges of the back panel, a retainer patch secured over said rod tosaid back panel, endless elongated loop members having their inner endslooper over said rod in spaced relation to each other and extendingthrough said patch substantially normal to the back panel to extendbetween the folds of a back and forth folded parachute carried on saidback panel With the end and side flaps inclosing the parachute With saidflap edges in said overlapping relation, grommets formed in said sideflaps to receive the outer end loops of the loop member therethrough, agrommet formed in each of the end flaps disposed to align with one ofthe grommets in each of the side flaps to receive one of the outer endloops of the loop members therethrough, a pull pin extending throu heach of the outer loop ends of the loop members exteriorly of the flapsand across the edges of the grommets toward one of the end flaps, a pullcable carried by the last mentioned flap and connected to both of saidpull pins for withdrawal thereof to free said flaps, and an elongatedinclosure flap carried by one of the side flaps inclosing said pull pinsand cable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,462,456 Smith July 17, 1923 2,663,525 Smith Dec. 22, 1953 FOREIGNPATENTS 449,324 Great Britain June 22, 1936 947,976 France Jan. 24, 1949

